Antique Italian Venetian Burr Walnut Bureau Bookcase 19th Century

A monumental antique Venetian bureau bookcase, Circa 1880 in date.

It is a superb copy of an 18th Century Venetian bureau bookcase, the original would be worth in the region of a million pounds. It is masterfully made from the finest burr walnut, note the serpentine sides and front and the beautiful shaped cornice, all hallmarks of the master cabinet makers art.

The pair of top doors are fitted with delightful mirror glazed panels engraved with a lady and a gentleman, both in period costume,with a small shaped and engraved mirror above.

The base has three full width deep drawers and a cupboard on either side. very useful for storage. The bureau fall opens to reveal a myriad of small drawers and pigeon holes for storing pens, papers, etc.

It is complete with working locks and keys.

It is ready to grace one of the rooms in your house and is in excellent condition.

Condition:

In really excellent condition having been beautifully cleaned, polished and waxed in our workshops, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 288 cm x Width 142 cm x Depth 74 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 9 foot, 5 inches x Width 4 foot, 8 inches x Depth 2 foot, 5 inches

Walnut & Burr Walnut

Walnut is a hard, dense, tight- grained wood that polishes to a very smooth finish. It is a popular and attractive wood whose colour ranges from near white in the sapwood to a dark hew in the heartwood. When dried in a kiln, walnut wood tends to develop a dull brown colour, but when air-dried can become a rich purplish-brown. Because of its colour, hardness and grain, it is a prized furniture and carving wood. Walnut veneer was highly priced and the cost would reflect the ‘fanciness’ of the veneer – the more decorative, then the more expensive and desirable.

Burr walnut refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.

Walnut "burrs" were often used to make fabulous furniture. Veneer sliced from walnut burl is one of the most valuable and highly prized by cabinet makers and prestige car manufacturers and is also a favourite material for shotgun stocks.

Our reference: A4145